Korea, US to hold defense ministerial talks on Feb. 2
By Yi Whan-woo
Defense Minister Han Min-koo and the U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis will meet Feb. 2 in Seoul, according to the Ministry of National Defense, Thursday.
This will be the first defense ministerial talks between the two allies since Donald Trump inaugurated Jan. 20.
The defense ministry said Mattis will visit South Korea on Feb. 2 and 3 in his first overseas trip as a U.S. defense chief. He will be in Japan on Feb. 3 and 4 and meet Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada before returning home.
It is unusual for a U.S. defense secretary to visit South Korea first over Japan in their trip to the two East Asian nations, according to the military sources.
“Such change in order of itinerary is seen a bid to send a powerful warning to North Korea for making threats with intercontinental ballistic missiles, while ensuring the U.S. commitment to the alliance with South Korea,” a source said.
Han and Mattis are expected to announce a joint statement against Pyongyang after their meeting.
“The trip will underscore the commitment of the United States to our enduring alliances with Japan and the Republic of Korea, and further strengthen U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea security cooperation,” Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said.
The topics on the agenda during the meeting between Han and Mattis are likely to include planned deployment of U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery in South Korea and the defense-cost sharing agreement, regarding which Trump asked Seoul to shoulder heavier financial burden.
“We’ll consult with each other to finalize the agenda in detail,” defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said.
Along with Secretary of Homeland John Kelly, Mattis is among the first two members of Trump’s cabinet to win the Senate approval.
Rex Tillerson, the nominees for secretary of state, awaits the senate confirmation, putting possible foreign ministerial talks with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se in delay.
It is rare for South Korea and the U.S. to hold defense minister talks prior to their foreign ministerial talks when a new U.S. government sets in.